BUSINESS
Budget session will test BJP as Money Bill route for its economic agenda may not be available
The BJP-led NDA is likely to face a tough time in getting its economic agenda through in the Parliament as the resurgent opposition appears determined to not give the government an easy passage
POLITICS
Kejriwal’s Arrest: Will AAP survive its biggest crisis or disintegrate?
AAP is planning to turn the arrest into a big spectacle to gain voter sympathy. In the past, Kejriwal has fought back when the chips were down. But behind bars, there is a limit to how much he can shepherd the AAP, which he has controlled with a firm grip for the past 12 years
BUSINESS
Congress readies counter to BJP with electoral bonds, guarantees, but will that suffice?
To tackle BJP's nationalism narrative and Ram temple pitch, Congress – aware that neither anti-corruption nor the Nyay scheme worked for it in 2019 – is doubling down again on the twin strategies, focusing on the electoral bonds outrage and guaranteeing multiple welfare and social justice offerings. But are these enough to win 2024?
POLITICS
Ashok Chavan's Exit: Congress fails to arrest plummeting morale of both leaders and rank-and-file
Ashok Chavan will take away with him a big chunk of his loyalists from the Marathwada region. Facing repeated setbacks, the Congress high command has run out of ideas on how to stem this outflow of leaders
POLITICS
TMC-Congress ‘Breakup’: Why Mamata Banerjee’s announcement is mere posturing
The Bengal chief minister needs Congress to keep BJP in check. There are signs of Muslims dumping regional parties and gravitating towards Congress, as had happened in Karnataka and Telangana. TMC losing Muslim votes in Bengal will end up benefiting BJP in the Lok Sabha polls
POLITICS
Faceless INDIA Alliance = Advantage Modi
Without a PM face, the INDIA bloc’s attempts to counter the magnetic appeal of ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ is going to be a non-starter. The PM face will be as much a part of the alternative narrative that the opposition wishes to stitch, and such a key lacunae won’t help in denting BJP’s stranglehold over the Hindi heartland
ASSEMBLY-ELECTIONS
In Vishnu Deo Sai’s elevation, BJP harnesses tribals' disenchantment with Congress
A tribal chief minister for Chhattisgarh is BJP’s way of disorienting Congress further after its upset defeat in the central Indian state. The traction that Congress enjoyed among the tribal community courtesy Indira Gandhi has dissipated and PM Modi has taken her place in the community’s affections
ASSEMBLY-ELECTIONS
Assembly Election Results 2023: What lies ahead for the Congress
Assembly Election Results 2023: It was essential for Congress to put itself on the road to recovery ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party's national fortunes hinge on its revival in the states. To that end, Congress has been dealt a rude jolt in the Hindi heartland and can no longer dictate terms to its INDIA alliance partners
ASSEMBLY-ELECTIONS
Assembly Elections 2023: December 3 won’t impact 2024 Lok Sabha polls but will set campaign ball rolling
Assembly Elections 2023: These elections won’t have much impact on 2024 beyond galvanising or demoralising workers on winning and losing sides. What December 3 will certainly do is bring parties back to strategising for the Lok Sabha polls. The opposition, especially, has much ground to cover including picking a formidable candidate who can be projected against PM Modi
ASSEMBLY-ELECTIONS
Rajasthan Elections 2023: Has Congress leadership given up on the state? No poll rally by Rahul Gandhi in last 47 days
Rajasthan Elections 2023: Ashok Gehlot lost favour with the Gandhis after his loyalists orchestrated a revolt against the Congress high command last year. Now Rahul Gandhi’s failure to visit the state is being interpreted in two ways: continuing displeasure and poor poll prospects
BUSINESS
Kejriwal Ducking ED Summons: Real test of AAP’s resilience starts now
Arvind Kejriwal appears to be following the Hemant Soren playbook of skipping Enforcement Directorate summons and petitioning courts for relief. With no sitting chief minister having been arrested of late, and fears of AAP itself being booked, questions about Kejriwal’s fate and AAP’s derecognition by the Election Commission hang heavy in Delhi’s foul air
ASSEMBLY-ELECTIONS
Assembly Elections 2023: Congress relies on surveys to curb internal tussles over ticket distribution
Assembly Elections 2023: While factions retain their sway over the Congress at the state and district levels, the institutionalising of surveys to identify candidates with the greatest winnability has introduced a new dynamic in the bargaining between the high command and regional satraps. The coming elections will reveal the efficacy of the process
BUSINESS
Sanjay Singh's arrest exposes chinks in INDIA bloc
The Congress hasn’t come out in support of the AAP leader, a stark contrast from the solidarity that Rahul Gandhi expressed for BSP leader Danish Ali and NCP chief Sharad Pawar following his party split. The arrest of Congress leaders in Punjab by the Bhagwant Mann government could be behind the chill
POLITICS
Women's Reservation Bill is a game changer in India’s political landscape
Even if the reservation is going to come into effect only in 2029, the reverberations of the historic legislation will be felt in 2024 itself. With women voter turnout higher than males in many states, parties that oppose or fail to uphold the spirit of the law could face a backlash from the women constituency
BUSINESS
Opposition bonhomie on full display in Parliament, but will it sustain
The monsoon session gave ample hints that the parties in the INDIA grouping are burying their differences until the 2024 polls. Congress seems to have recognised that the onus of keeping the bloc united lies with it. But they are also bracing for the tonguelashing from the PM during the no-confidence motion
POLITICS
Opposition Unity: Will Congress play spoiler or enabler?
In the past, Congress was a major stumbling block for larger opposition unity. But the party showed a new accommodative spirit at Patna. But sustaining this won’t be easy for Congress given the strained equations with AAP and TMC, and sacrificing state unit interests for the one-seat one-candidate formula
POLITICS
Karnataka done, the real test for Rahul Gandhi-Mallikarjun Kharge jodi is to deliver 2024 for Congress
Rahul Gandhi certainly has a valid claim to the Karnataka success. His padayatra through the heart of Karnataka set an example for party workers. Now the task of revitalising the party in other states and combining with Kharge to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections beckon
BUSINESS
Can Congress recover amid restless scions, Rahul Gandhi’s risky political bets, and Mallikarjun Kharge’s weak hand?
Younger leaders who got a leg up thanks to Rahul Gandhi have also been the first to lose confidence in him. The wrong kind of leaders in Rahul’s coterie and a politically risky obsession with cornering BJP on anti-corruption is shaping new dynamics in the post-Bharat Jodo Yatra Congress
BUSINESS
Was it a wise decision by Punjab police to meekly surrender to the latest Bhindranwale wannabe?
Amritpal Singh and his Waris De Punjab capitalised on the Punjab AAP government’s fears of a repeat of the Akali Dal and Congress’s political decimation over the mishandling of the 2015 sacrilege incidents to stare down the Punjab police at Ajnala
BUSINESS
Gujarat Poll Results | National party stature a big takeaway for AAP
The Gujarat poll outcome might not have been on the expected lines for AAP, but it has provided a ground for the party to work for improving its prospects in the 2027 elections
BUSINESS
Gujarat Elections | BJP uses familiar template to beat anti-incumbency
This strategy, in place since 2014, has helped the national party become a powerful election-winning machine
BUSINESS
Assembly Elections | Will Himachal Pradesh buck the trend?
The BJP is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma to beat the strong anti-incumbency against the incumbent state government, and break the cycle as in Uttarakhand
BUSINESS
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will have to hit the ground running
With the victory behind him, the biggest test for Mallikarjun Kharge will be to ensure that his appeal transcends the language and regional barriers given that the Hindi heartland holds the key to the Delhi seat of power
BUSINESS
Mulayam Singh Yadav’s political ‘daav pech’ stunned friends and foes alike
Amidst all his unanticipated moves, Mulayam Singh Yadav remained consistent on one issue throughout his life — that China is a bigger threat to India than Pakistan
